by Rye Hart
“You’re gonna get it tonight, beautiful,” he said.
“That a promise?” I asked.
I unlocked the door before his hand threw it open. We walked into his dark house as we made our way to the couch. I could hear his chest lightly panting with his efforts. I could feel his arms trembling as he settled me down onto the cushions. His body was draped over mine, his lips hovering millimeters away from my skin.
Then, the lights came on with a flash.
“Congratulations!”
People started popping out of every corner as Drake ripped me up from the couch. Elsie and Tammy walked in from the kitchen and Hank was standing in the hallway. Paul was on the fucking loveseat across from the couch we almost got naked in the dark. Even Stone and Landon were there, standing on the damn staircase grinning like idiots.
“Where the hell have you guys been?” I asked.
I saw Drake quirk an eyebrow as I stared the guys down hard.
“Been takin’ care of Ma,” Stone said. “And possibly getting some help with some things. Drake’s night that night sort of—well—to be honest? It scared the shit outta me.”
“I ain’t gonna beat around the bush. I checked myself into rehab,” Landon said. “Drinkin’ wasn’t really my problem. That was just fun since Drake was doin’ it. But those pills I was slingin’ back with my shots? Definitely an issue. And don’t let Stone fool ya. He’s still gettin’ counselin’ for this sex thing he’s got goin’ on. Did ya know you can actually be addicted to sex? I thought that was just him bein’ a dude.”
“Asshole. It’s a real thing,” Stone said. “And I’m managin’ it. With some help.”
A round of chuckles reverberated across the room as my mind tried to wrap itself around everything taking place. His bandmates hadn’t abandoned him?
“Hank? Did you know about this?” I asked.
“Yeah. Because he told me Landon and Stone weren’t tourin’ because they told him I wouldn’t be any fun sober,” Drake said.
“What?” Landon asked.
“The fuck kind of excuse is that?” Stone asked.
“I didn’t have a lot of time to improvise, okay?” Hank asked. “And I knew a little bit. But at the time, you were going through your own shit, Drake. Just out of rehab. Floundering around with what to do about Delia. Hell, all three of you needed to cool your jets, if you ask me. I didn’t think it would be good for him to know his bandmates had just checked themselves into rehab, too. You know, triggers, distractions and stuff,” Hank said.
“I can tell you as someone who’s got a degree in all this that knowing his friends were struggling could’ve given him a great support system,” I said. “You should’ve told him, Hank.”
I was staring at Hank hard as Drake broke away from me and headed for the stairs. He clapped his friends on the back, holding them for much longer than they would’ve ever done in the public eye. There was a bond between the three of them I was just now witnessing. A bond I had been blind to, because of dealing with my own confusion and anger over issues while under Drake’s employ. I stood there as Paul approached me from behind, his hand descending between my shoulder blades as I looked up at him.
“Ya thirsty?” he asked.
“Whatcha got?” I asked.
“Sparkling apple juice,” Elsie said.
“Then I’d love some,” I said, with a grin.
“Sparkling apple juice for everyone!” Stone said.
“I got pizzas comin’ for all of us to eat, too,” Landon said.
The smile on Drake’s face was one I would never forget. The joy in his eyes and the clarity of his words was something he would’ve never had if he had still been drinking. I smiled as my eyes studied him. Watched him interact with his bandmates and listened to him shoot the shit with people who loved him. People who cared for him.
People he trusted with the private little world he’d created for himself.
Paul handed me a sparkling apple juice as Elsie and Tammy helped hand them out. I took it from him and thanked him, then watched as he tipped his hat to me. I snickered, shaking my head as I took small sips from the plastic champagne glass. My hand migrated mindlessly to my stomach as Drake turned towards me, his eyes flickering up and down my body before he tossed me a little wink.
His little signature move that was reserved only for me.
I was standing in the middle of a place I thought I’d never be, surrounded by people I never thought I’d ever have. I was immersed in a place I called home, watching a man I would soon call my husband, surrounded by people I now considered my family. For the first time since my parents died, I felt at peace. Content.
I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath, committing all of it to memory. The sounds and the smells, the laughter and the conversation. I memorized the way everyone’s voices sounded and the stories that were being tossed my way. I sipped on the sparkling apple juice as I dipped down for my purse, then made my way into the kitchen for some peace and quiet.
Then I pulled out my phone and called my boss.
“Hello, Mr. Hart. It’s Delia. Yes, I’m all right. I was calling to see if I could possibly have Monday off? Why? Well, I’m in the middle of celebrating an engagement. I wanted to surprise my—really? That’s okay? Yes sir, I’ll be into work on Tuesday. After lunch? That’s awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yes, and—yes. Thank you. I’m very happy, too. I’ll see you Tuesday after lunch. Uh huh. You, too. Have a good weekend.”
“A surprise, huh?”
I jumped at the sound of Drake’s voice as he leaned against the kitchen doorway.
“Got until lunchtime Tuesday off,” I said, as I held up my cell phone.
“And uh—what did you plan on doin’ with that time?” Drake asked.
He pushed off the doorframe and started walking towards me. Stalking me, with his eyes on fire and electricity igniting the air around him.
“I don’t know. Figured I might rest. Eat. Lounge around. Take some showers.”
“Hmm. And when do you plan on—takin’ these showers?”
Drake’s arms cloaked my body, his face nuzzling into my neck as I giggled.
“Whenever you’re ready to take them, handsome,” I said, with a grin.
“You wanna take one now? We could sneak it while everyone’s occupied.”
I actually pondered the idea, thinking it over before the front door sounded out with a ferocious knock.
“Pizza’s here!” Landon said. “Come and get it!”
“Maybe after we eat,” I said.
His eyes grew dark as his hand rounded the globe of my ass. He squeezed it, shooting a jolt of heat up my spine as I gasped. His lips crashed down, encompassing mine as my back bowed and his arm supported the weight of my body against his.
I shivered, melting into him as people began to pile into the kitchen with hot pizza steaming up the place.
“Break it up, you two,” Stone said.
“Let us eat first. Damn,” Landon said.
“Leave them alone. It’s a big night for them,” Paul said.
Promises of what was to come hung heavily in my mind as we ate pizza, laughed until we were hoarse, and bonded with those we cared about most. I stayed by Drake’s side and kept up with the conversation, and even got into some insightful and deep discussions with both Stone and Landon. My fingertips circled around the ring on my hand, my mind still trying to digest the whirlwind of events that had just transpired.
But nothing could have sunk it in more than hearing those three little words whispered into my ear.
“I love you,” Drake said.
I nuzzled the side of my head into his lips as he puckered them, gracing the shell of my ear with his warmth.
“I love you, too,” I said, as my body leaned into his. “Forever.”
EPILOGUE
Five months later
Delia
Drake had received an award for his new acoustic album and we were heading home from the ceremony. I
was eight months pregnant and huge, but Drake still found me irresistible. We were in the limo and had barely gotten the door closed before he was all over me.
I giggled as he peppered my neck with kisses. “I can’t believe you still want to touch me. I look like a whale,” I said.
Drake pulled his head back and looked me square in the eye. “No, you look like the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And you are carrying my child, which makes you even sexier.”
I smiled up at him and pulled him in for a kiss. His hand slid up under my dress and his fingers trailed up my inner thigh. I stopped and sat upright for a moment, feeling a strange sensation. I pushed Drake’s hand away and winced.
I was flooded with a warmth between my thighs that dripped all the way down my legs.
“Delia?” he asked. “Are you feeling okay?”
I felt another gush as a searing pain ripped through my back.
“Ooooh no,” I said, as I leaned up. “Oh no. Drake.”
My water had broken.
Holy shit.
I looked over at Drake as he rose up from the seat and I gathered my dress up my thighs. He opened the partition and gave the driver some directions, and before I knew it the limo was whipping a u-turn in the middle of the road.
“What do you need from me? Are you remembering to breathe? Sweetheart, tell me what I can do,” Drake said.
“I need you to call Paul. My hospital bag is in our room. The—shit!”
I drew in a deep breath as Drake ripped his phone from his pocket.
“Paul? It’s me. Yes, yes, yes, the speech was good. Listen to me, Delia’s in labor. Yes, labor. In the limo. We’re headed for the—yes. Her bag. It’s in our room, it’s—?”
“Pink and yellow,” I said. “By the—door!”
“A pink and yellow bag by the door in our room, Paul. Get it to the hospital. Yep. Thanks, man.”
Drake hung up the phone before he slid his body behind mine. He pressed his hands into the dimples in my lower back, trying to alleviate some of the pain. Fluid was still leaking down my legs as I kept them spread, my body in agonizing pain. I yelled out in the back of the limo as the driver kept calling out how many minutes we were from the hospital.
I just wanted the man to shut the hell up.
Drake kept pressing kisses into my shoulder as I braced for the contractions. They were coming a hell of a lot faster than I thought they would. My pain was mounting, and my head was spinning.
“Once we get to the hospital, we’ll get you some drugs,” Drake said.
“All of them. Every fucking one of them,” I said.
The limo pulled up underneath the emergency overhang, where there were nurses there ready to receive us. They helped me out of the car and put me in a wheelchair, but it was getting harder and harder to sit upright. They raced me into the emergency room and barreled me down the hallway as I held Drake’s hand. I was trying to stay calm and keep my wits about me, but none of this was happening the way I had read it would.
I wasn’t prepared.
I thought I was—but I wasn’t.
Drake helped me out of my dress and into a bed. Paul came skidding around the corner, holding my pink and yellow bag as well as the baby blanket I had purchased a few days ago. It was always such a relief to have Paul’s calm and quiet demeanor around, but even he was shaking and falling apart at the seams.
“Hello Delia, just try to relax. I’m going to check your dilation,” the doctor said.
My legs were spread and his fingers were inside of me before I could protest. The pain took my breath away as another contraction hit around my body. I reached out for Drake’s hand as Paul wrapped around, grabbing my other one as tears poured down my face.
“Epidural. I need—I need one of those,” I said, breathlessly.
“She’s eight centimeters dilated. This baby is coming now, and she’s too far along for an epidural.”
“I’m what?” I asked.
“Delia, look at me.”
Paul’s voice ripped me from my fear as I turned my watery gaze towards him.
“There ain’t no one in this room that can do this but you. This baby’s stubborn, just like you. And it’s gonna be beautiful, just like you. Now you hunker down, roar as loud as you can, and show us men what real strength is.”
Tears poured down my face as Paul brought my hand to his lips to kiss. He smoothed my sweaty hair back before he nodded toward Drake, then made his way for the door. Nurses were piling in with all sorts of equipment as I looked up at Drake, my eyes pleading with him for mercy.
“Help me,” I said, breathlessly, “I can’t move my legs.”
“I got you, baby. I got you, okay?”
Drake hooked his strong arms around underneath the crook of my knee and bent my leg back toward my chest. Contractions were tumbling on top of one another now, rendering me speechless. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t cry out. I couldn’t cuss, and I couldn’t lash out. I could only allow the pain to sweep me underneath its current and become one with it. If I kept fighting, it would only prolong this agony.
I felt a nurse crook her arm underneath my other leg as my body opened up for everyone in the room. All of my inhibitions went out the window as I felt my body beginning to push. I placed my chin against my chest and bared down as hard as I could, roaring out into the room as everyone cheered me on.
“That’s it, Delia. Come on. Yell as loud as you can!” Drake said.
I shrieked out into the room as my hips began to split themselves open.
“Another push,” the doctor said. “Come on. You got this.”
I bared down again, my toes curling and my legs shaking as I squeezed Drake’s hand tight.
“I hate you!” I said, into the room.
“Come on. Tell me again. Tell me how you feel,” Drake said.
“Why the fuck did I let you touch me?” I said. “What the hell was I thinking!”
I pushed again, feeling a searing hot pain.
“I need a nurse over here,” the doctor said. “Delia, give me one last push. One more push and that beautiful baby will be here.”
“It hurts so much,” I said, with a whimper.
I felt Drake press his lips to my ear as my head collapsed onto the bed. My body overrode my exhausted state as my legs shook with pain. It felt like every molecule in my being was being burned at the stake. I was trembling as my grip weakened against Drake’s hand as one last contraction wrapped around my body.
“Show everyone how strong you,” he said, with a whisper.
I flexed my feet, angled my hips, and roared into the room as I gave one last push. I felt relief course through my veins as people started to run around the room. I felt something slide from between my legs as Drake and the nurse set me back down onto the hospital bed. I heard chairs rolling around and machines being turned on. People were running around and Drake’s eyes were locked on something in the distance. Tears barreled down my cheeks as I waited for the sound. That glorious sound I’d been dreaming about for the last two months.
And as if the heavens above parted for only me, I heard it.
I heard the sound of my beautiful little infant.
“What is it?” Drake asked. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
“You guys don’t know already?” the nurse asked.
“I think it’s a girl,” I said breathlessly. “It’s a girl, right?”
“Sounds like momma’s got a strong intuition,” the nurse said. “Because you have a beautiful, healthy baby girl.”
I leaned my head against the pillow as the nurse lowered my daughter to my chest. I smoothed my hospital gown open and laid her directly onto my skin, cradling her closely as Drake looked down upon the two of us. I stared up into his eyes, tears of joy streaming down the sides of my face.
He bent down and kissed my forehead as more movement occurred underneath me. I felt blankets being moved and things being switched out. I felt someone cleaning me up and putting my legs down on
to warm, fresh bedding. I cradled my daughter’s head as she nuzzled toward my breast, her mouth puckering for food as I lowered her to my nipple. I helped her to latch on, flipping her lip up so she could drink from my aching breasts.
“She’s a natural,” one of the nurses said. “But I’ll send in a lactation consultant just in case you have any questions.”
I felt Drake sit down beside us, his hand still cradling my head. I looked over at him, watching as a goofy smile trickled across his cheeks.
“My girls,” he said. “My healthy, beautiful girls.”
“What do you want to name her?” I asked. “We never did settle on a girl’s name.”
“I have now,” he said.
“Oh really?”
His eyes panned over to mine as he sighed. He leaned up and placed a kiss to my lips, warm and wet and soft to the touch. I knew what name he was going to pick. I recognized that look in his eye. Our foreheads connected as our daughter unlatched, then I shifted her to my other breast as I settled back into bed.
“I think Helena is a beautiful name,” I said.
“You don’t mind naming her that?” Drake asked.
“Nope. Your mother was a strong woman. A good woman. A woman who was steadfast and took care of those she loved. I think that’s a good legacy for our daughter.”
After Helena was done eating, I passed her over to Drake. His large hand tapped lightly against her back, trying to burp his newborn daughter as she fell asleep on his shoulder. Her cheek was smashed into his muscles and her lips were parted while she slept. Her back rose and fell with the small breaths she was taking, cradled against the strength of her father.
I saw the love Drake had for her in his eyes. I saw the moment he fell in love with her. Neither of us would ever be the same again. Not after this moment. That little girl already had this huge man wrapped around her newborn pinky finger, and as I watched Drake settle back in his chair my eyes began to flutter closed.